“SHALOM,
PEACE BE WITH YOU”
(John 20:19)
WE LOVE BECAUSE
GOD FIRST LOVES US, -
WE FORGIVE BECAUSE
GOD FIRST FORGIVES US
The very first thing Jesus said
when He first appears to the apostles, Mary and the women after rising from the
dead is, “Peace be with you”. He repeats this greeting twice because He
knows their hearts are in anguish with shame and fear for having run away and
being totally disloyal to Him at the
time of His passion and crucifixion. They needed to be assured of His
tenderness, mercy and His love for them.
It seemed only natural, but it was
absolutely necessary, that His apostles would be the first to receive the
Spirit’s gift of forgiveness for their past sins and their abandonment of Jesus. Before
ascending into heaven Christ sends His apostles just as He himself was sent by
the Father to be sharers in His divine power and saving mission to humanity. He
conferred upon the Apostles the first bishops, and their lawful successors
through priestly ordination, the power and the authority to forgive sins in His
Name and restore His peace to troubled souls.
All of us have sinned and have betrayed the Lord and are in need of His peace, love and forgiveness. The practice of frequent celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation allows us to grow in self-knowledge, humility and gratitude to the Lord. We uproot bad habits, overcome spiritual apathy, are strengthened against temptation and find peace.
